Florida native Bill Kapri, better known to the world as rapper Kodak Black, was recognized by his hometown city when the mayor gave him the Keys to the City of Pompano Beach.
A social media post from the City of Pompano Beach acknowledged the generous contributions of the recording artist July 8.
“Today, the City of Pompano Beach honored Grammy-nominated rapper and philanthropist @kodakblack with the Key to the City, recognizing his outstanding generosity and lasting impact on the community.”
Black was recognized for helping others in the community when it was needed, including donating air conditioners to residents suffering during the hottest months, and giving out turkeys around holiday time. The rapper also gave children gifts during the Christmas season and has paid the rent for people earlier this year, as well as three years ago, when they were not able to pay it themselves.
Although the rapper has been mired in legal troubles over the years, he had his sentence commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021, right before the president left office. Black had been sentenced to 46 months in prison on federal weapons charges back in 2019 after he had admitted that he falsified information on federal forms to buy four firearms.
However, this is not the first time that the Florida rapper was honored by the city he grew up in. In June 2021, Black received a proclamation that was issued by Commissioner Dale Holness, given in support of Black’s philanthropic efforts. He also stated that he believes in redemption and that Kodak Black’s criminal troubles shouldn’t outweigh the good.
When he gave Black the proclamation, he said, “I believe in redemption. I believe every human being has the ability to redeem themselves from whatever wrong they’ve done. It (the proclamation) wasn’t about naming a day for him either, if anyone took the time to read it.”